Criosphynx
Ditto to everything you said.
Learning method is also what I use, each of my dogs require different techniques to achieve a certain result, one method only on 6 very different breeds and types of dogs just doesnt work.

__________________
Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyways. ~John Wayne

I'm not as familiar with huskies as I'd like to be but I don't think they're known for gentleness.

Siberian Huskies are very well known for being dogs of gentle temperments. They are playful, loving, gentle, family oriented dogs, most are friendly with strangers & while some may be wary of strangers they are not watch dogs.

Sibes are intellegent & fast learners they can be willful during training if they don't see the need to constantly repeat a command they already know. It takes time, patience and a gentle but firm, confident & consistant handler to properly train a Sibe. They need mental as well as physical exercise/stimulation or they may become destructive or escape artists from sheer boredom.

Not at all...very well said. I can't punch holes into that at all.
The Key to what you said was 'watch those that have mastered it'. I keep saying and pushing is that the only way to learn is to keep an open mind. I cannot say that I would completely follow you as I also incorporate other methods as well. I personally could not be a one way trainer. But you have me very curious and I really wish I could attend one of your lessons. I really mean that.

yeah I'm with you BenMax, I don't think I'd be putting my face that close to a dog after flipping him,

SamIam *L* yeah, I can see a huge dog laughing at us trying to do just that *L*

This is why I hesitated and this is what he senses, that I have a little fear of him. If I had had him since he was a pup, it would be clear in his mind who was in charge, but since I didn't, and it's clear to me that he's challenging me on this, I need to take control and growling in his neck is just telling him in a language that HE understands that he's not to challenge me.

This was invaluable when I had a HUGE Rottweiler that growled at my son when he was learning to crawl. The SECOND he did that, I flipped him and let him know there was NO WAY that was going to happen. He never did that again and turned out to be an amazing nurturing protective dog that watched over all the neighborhood kids, especially when they toddled "through the woods" of our joined back yards, "hunting for bears".

If he had continued to growl and threaten, he would have been gone. It was imperative he realized he had to quit that fast.

I just only use two of the four quadrants of it....ok, three, occasionally.

"positive" trainers vary, in both results and methods.. Can you get reliable behaviors across the board all the time with only PR (as in only reward good behavior, and ignore the rest). No. You need to used Negative punishment (removing som'thing the dog wants) premack (do this thing you don't like, and I'll let you do that thing you like) management and redirections (you are not having access to that thing yet, or "do this instead) none of those things involve physically harming or "making uncomfortable" the dog.

What I do NOT do is physically punish the dog. I do not scold or intimidate the dog.I do NOT use NRMs (no reward markers, uh uhs, "nos" etc) studies have shown these things are not needed to learn, and can impair learning.

I do teach a SOLID foundation. Hand targeting is taught first. Doggie zen and its yer choice next...all behaviors are methodically proofed for distraction and duration (if needed)

Default behviors. My dogs do not need cues to look at me, leave it, loose leash, etc etc...too many people put these things on cue...teach attention as a DEFAULT and you will have a different dog.

I understand the mechanics of every nuance of behavior. THAT is why I can use "PR only" (which never purely is PR) with massive success. I've taken the time to master it...It takes time, practice and skill to develop. Many seminars and books. Many hundreds of hours reading studies and watching videos...6 dogs and counting (first dog was traditional trained, others in between and my 6th dog, my reactive, high drive mess when I got him, has never had one correction in 2 years (hes two) and its as close to "perfect" as I expect from an animal)

There are many methods within the "pr" umbrella. If you can master learning theory, and all its tricks, teach the dog proofed foundation behaviors, and manage while they learn its VERY VERY possible to teach using no force or intimidation, and have reliable behaviors.... the retriever people say you MUST force fetch to get a reliable retrieve. If I can teach a RR to CHIHUAHUAS with clicker training. Labs do not need to be FF.

If zoos can teach hyenas to willingly allow blood draws from the jugular using clicker training...the limits are endless

So my point is don't judge PR trainers when you are viewing the noobs and inbetweeners....watch those that have mastered it. You wouldn't look at kids learning a violin and say, yup, thats as good as it gets.... you'd go to the symphony.

Well said, too bad I can't give you a "like' or "rep" points for this. I find that most people who deride non-aversive training are really admitting to their own incompetence but blaming the tool when they should be blaming the craftsman.

PS. The only thing I would change in your post would be changing method to principle. The principles of learning are universal, the methods are the application of those principles.

I don't doubt that your methods work, if they didn't, you wouldn't be using them. But I suspect that many methods would work if one is willing to put countless hours into it...hours that many dog owners just don't have because some of us have to work most of the day.

I don't claim to be an authority on dogs but I know a few things about fads, especially in child rearing. One of the biggest fads complete with mountains of books promoting it, is that kids should never be spanked.

I worked 6 years at Mental Health and all the therapists that taught that insane theory had no kids of their own. They also seemed to think all kids start out like a blank page and would react the same. They don't. What works with one kid often doesn't work with another. "No spanking" doesn't work at all and it's proved by the current generations that grew up under that fad. Rebellion has runamuk and countless cities have teachers afraid to teach classes.

I suspect dogs are much the same way. They don't all react the same to the same circumstances. And they ALL would act better if they got consistent interaction often and could easily understand what so many of us are trying to tell them in so many ways.

I think they understand being flipped on their backs and growled at when they misbehave. It's what commonly happens in nature, they easily understand it and remember it and it doesn't hurt them in the slightest.

I think they understand being flipped on their backs and growled at when they misbehave. It's what commonly happens in nature, they easily understand it and remember it and it doesn't hurt them in the slightest.

I was watching the interaction between my GSD and the puppy. His mouth was gentle, he would use his weight to push the puppy from him when she got too 'rough'. He also gently puts her whole neck into his mouth. You can see his gentleness in holding her still until she settled, and then he released. Again using his body to redirect her next 'plan of attack'. And it starts all over.

Within minutes the GSD turns towards the Anatolian. The clash of the Titans. Both on hind quarters, neck holding, chest smashing, random pawing to get the other off balance with the final holding the neck ...with the release and the play continues. All this supervised as both are sore losers.

All this to say that everything observed using the GSD as an example, is a dog that uses negative, positive and positive negative, and finally dominence. Interesting thing is that the GSD adjusted his tactics to fit the situation based on the size of the dogs he interacted with, and his ability to understand the difference in their size and most probably the age.

That is why I say that every tool can be used in order to suit the dog and the situation at hand. I appreciate that this is dog on dog interaction, and we as humans can learn by watching such displays but we cannot mimic them effectively...obviously. It gives you the appreciation that the dog will adjust to all circumstances...something that humans must also take into consideration when training, evaluating and interacting with canines.

Last edited by BenMax; March 24th, 2011 at 06:52 PM.
Reason: spelling..though there is more....LOL

I think they understand being flipped on their backs and growled at when they misbehave. It's what commonly happens in nature, they easily understand it and remember it and it doesn't hurt them in the slightest.

I don't think that's true.
In nature, animals very rarely get involved in real physical fights because of the risk of injury (which is a death sentence). 99% of observed fight behavior is posturing - which means that one animal voluntarily goes to ground to submit to the other's superior strength. When one animal physically throws the other down, it is preparing to kill it.
By grabbing your dog and throwing it to the ground, you are initiating the equivalent of (what would be) a fight to the death.

I know someone who has had 3 rescue dogs and all of them have developed severe aggression because of these methods.
This person was very loving towards their dogs in other respects and the dogs were treated like family - given great amounts of exercise, positive social interaction, and structure.
Over the course of their lives, two of them began to show some aggressive behavior towards other dogs and one began showing aggression to people. This aggression was corrected with alpha rolls and growling/shouting.
The dog who was human-aggressive has since been euthanized for attacking and biting 2 people.
The larger of the dogs who was dog-aggressive (the smaller is a chihuahua mix and not corrected as often) has lost any of the warning signs that would normally pre-curse and attack. It is very scary to watch. One minute she is happily sitting next to you, the next she lunges and grabs the other by the neck (pinning him down) snarling while the boy screams. There are absolutely no warning signs. None.
In addition, they have both also started showing some aggression to people.

If the dogs understood why they were being corrected, it would have stopped the behavior.

Dogs know that we are not dogs. They do not treat us like other dogs - and we wouldn't want them to.

I think they understand being flipped on their backs and growled at when they misbehave. It's what commonly happens in nature, they easily understand it and remember it and it doesn't hurt them in the slightest.

To a certain extent, yes, but what you do to flip a dog probably involves your hands and at the same time neglects certain aspects of a natural competition between two dogs. A second problem is that if you challenge your dog and LOSE, you have just proven HE's boss, not you! There are a lot of reasons you might lose, size of dog, speed of reaction, agility, mobility, length of muzzle, instinct, and the fact that he has been practicing doglike behaviours every moment since he was born.

Dogs - with the possible exception of those hand-raised since birth - do know the difference between a dog and a human, and are capable of responding to human behaviours and learning our language (body and vocal).

There are certain advantages to being human that can be used to trigger natural reactions in a dog. Height for instance: when your dog is on the floor and you are standing up your dog sees this as an expression of dominance on your behalf. Grabbing a dog's muzzle with your hand and applying light pressure and restraint - NOT grabbing it with your mouth in order to simulate the exact behaviour of another dog. Meal-feeding or nothing-in-life-is-free feeding. The use of personal space - walking into your tog to get him to back off accompanied by you talking in a growly voice - all done with your face safely higher than him (caution with some dogs on this, which you will know from the initial evaluation). And there are many others.

To me, the best way to express dominance and leadership to your dog is usually by combining an understanding of his natural behaviour and instincts with your natural abilities and advantages, rather than by getting down with him and pretending to be a dog, which he knows and understands you are not.

But from what I mainly deal with and from what I see (shelter dogs mostly) is that the dogs may be loved to pieces, but the dog has not learnt to respect their handlers or other dogs. Respect is the biggest part of training, the dog must feel comfortable to have enough of this to trust the handler. Respect and Trust is the foundation to successfully train a dog and also overcome unwanted behaviour.

Alpha rolling a dog is NOT teaching the dog either of these very important ingredients. I personally think that the dog is belittled and therefore loses interest and respect for their owners.

like I said, there are mountains of books by credentialed "professionals" claiming that spanking a child only breeds violence. The article you posted was "based" on an artical by Dr. Dunbar, and yet it's got a lot of claims that look exactly opposite of what I've observed through my life. I lived 22 years in the mountains and had a dog that ran with a pack...just because someone has a credential and someone bases an article on something he wrote, then slaps it on the internet, is no reason to disbelieve what you've witnessed and trade it for beliefs of the credentialed professional.

After seeing what they teach kids in public school thanks to our academic elite and their twisted ideas, a degree is more like a badge of warning..."CAUTION: I have been exposed to liberal think tanks and excelled in regurgitating their social agenda"

I was watching the interaction between my GSD and the puppy. His mouth was gentle, he would use his weight to push the puppy from him when she got too 'rough'. He also gentle puts her whole neck into his mouth. You can see his gentleness in holding her still until she settled, and then he released. Again using his body to redirect her next 'plan of attack'. And it starts all over.

Within minutes the GSD turns towards the Anatolian. The clash of the Titans. Both on hind quarters, neck holding, chest smashing, random pawing to get the other off balance with the final holding the neck ...with the release and the play continues. All this supervised as both are sore losers.

All this to say that everything observed using the GSD as an example, is a dog that uses negative, positive and positive negative, and finally dominence. Interesting thing is that the GSD adjusted his tactics to fit the situation based on the size of the dogs he interacted with, and his ability to understand the difference in their size and most probably the age.

That is why I say that every tool can be used in order to suit the dog and the situation at hand. I appreciate that this is dog on dog interaction, and we as humans can learn by watching such displays but we cannot mimic them effectively...obviously. It gives you the appreciation that the dog will adjust to all circumstances...something that humans must also take into consideration when training, evaluating and interacting with canines.

excellent description of how dogs interact! Thanks! I've been watching my two socialize a lot and it really is amazing the subtleness and signals.

excellent description of how dogs interact! Thanks! I've been watching my two socialize a lot and it really is amazing the subtleness and signals.

It is. If you actually watch them, read the language, then it gives you a wonderful understanding on how to approach certain issues. The only time I saw aggression is when one lost the play battle. All I ever have to do change their path is to redirect it by saying 'Hey' and pointing to their mats. They recover from the negative interaction very quickly and walk through the door together like nothing happened. All is forgiven.
With humans however it is not forgiven if they are roughed up. They become fearful and this can possibly flourish into other problem areas.
What dogs do to dogs, people cannot effectively pass on the same 'message'. It just will not work and infact can do more harm than good.

I don't think that's true.
In nature, animals very rarely get involved in real physical fights because of the risk of injury (which is a death sentence). 99% of observed fight behavior is posturing - which means that one animal voluntarily goes to ground to submit to the other's superior strength. When one animal physically throws the other down, it is preparing to kill it.

There's a lot of truth in what you wrote, but I don't think we're in disagreement. That's probably why my Rott never growled at my infant again. If what you say is true, then my Rott showed by submitting that he saw me as the leader, which is my goal with my Husky. He got the message which is what I wanted to happen

Quote:

By grabbing your dog and throwing it to the ground, you are initiating the equivalent of (what would be) a fight to the death.

And maybe you're right that he reacts different to humans because he knows I'm not a dog, but I still think it communicates the seriousness of the offense.

Quote:

I know someone who has had 3 rescue dogs and all of them have developed severe aggression because of these methods.

How can you tell with a rescue dog that it's why they developed severe aggression? We had a rescue dog, some said he looked like one of those wild Australian dogs, a dingo, he was beautiful. We had him for two weeks and did nothing but love on him. Then one day I was cuddling a 2 year old in my lap, put the child down, stepped aside with a friend for a second and we both looked up as we saw the dingo lunge for the child's throat. We both screamed NO and he stopped and the child wasn't hurt but we took the dingo back to the shelter and told them what happened.

Quote:

This person was very loving towards their dogs in other respects and the dogs were treated like family - given great amounts of exercise, positive social interaction, and structure.
Over the course of their lives, two of them began to show some aggressive behavior towards other dogs and one began showing aggression to people. This aggression was corrected with alpha rolls and growling/shouting.
The dog who was human-aggressive has since been euthanized for attacking and biting 2 people.
The larger of the dogs who was dog-aggressive (the smaller is a chihuahua mix and not corrected as often) has lost any of the warning signs that would normally pre-curse and attack. It is very scary to watch. One minute she is happily sitting next to you, the next she lunges and grabs the other by the neck (pinning him down) snarling while the boy screams. There are absolutely no warning signs. None.
In addition, they have both also started showing some aggression to people.

Yep, exactly the behavior I was talking about. And why I said it's unfortunate I didn't have my Husky's since they were pups.

Quote:

If the dogs understood why they were being corrected, it would have stopped the behavior.

Dogs know that we are not dogs. They do not treat us like other dogs - and we wouldn't want them to.

I think we're a lot on the same page. I just think imitating some of their behavior still gets the message across.

It is. If you actually watch them, read the language, then it gives you a wonderful understanding on how to approach certain issues. The only time I saw aggression is when one lost the play battle. All I ever have to do change their path is to redirect it by saying 'Hey' and pointing to their mats. They recover from the negative interaction very quickly and walk through the door together like nothing happened. All is forgiven.
With humans however it is not forgiven if they are roughed up. They become fearful and this can possibly flourish into other problem areas.
What dogs do to dogs, people cannot effectively pass on the same 'message'. It just will not work and infact can do more harm than good.

I was with you right up to the end. I think it does pass on the message, and putting them on their back and growling isn't roughing them up, so I don't quite understand the disconnect?

I was with you right up to the end. I think it does pass on the message, and putting them on their back and growling isn't roughing them up, so I don't quite understand the disconnect?

This works in the dog world, but not the human dog world. The message is not the same because the way the dog is taken down is not the same. Let's not forget that since our unspoken communication is not the same..the actual message of intent is not transmitted from human to dog. It is just dog gets flipped and held. The dog is thinking "what the heck???'.
Just look at the expression on the dogs face if you do this. Also, look at the eyes, the tail and the legs.
Most dogs will almost take on the fetal position. Fear. Not respect.

Not at all...very well said. I can't punch holes into that at all.
The Key to what you said was 'watch those that have mastered it'. I keep saying and pushing is that the only way to learn is to keep an open mind. I cannot say that I would completely follow you as I also incorporate other methods as well. I personally could not be a one way trainer. But you have me very curious and I really wish I could attend one of your lessons. I really mean that.

Thank you. I must admit I wasn't expecting that sort of reply! Glad to see we can discuss this openmindedly

I just feel too many people judge "positive only" trainers by the few people they see doing it incorrectly, or doing it poorly. The people doing it 'well" are often not out in public, they are world famous trainers, many working in zoos and aquaria, out of view. Or people like me and many of my online friends, who are in rescue or don't want to compete with dogs, so once again, out of the limelight. I rescue special needs dogs, only 2 of my 5 dogs are physically sound. One is elderly, and the other is a pit bull who still has potential if I want to use it. I was training the reactive dog for agility and he was diagnosed with luxating patella (both knees) so we'll have to go after som'thing different to show a reactive rescue can be trained with PR and still title.... sorry OT a bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaJenT

This was invaluable when I had a HUGE Rottweiler that growled at my son when he was learning to crawl. The SECOND he did that, I flipped him and let him know there was NO WAY that was going to happen. He never did that again and turned out to be an amazing nurturing protective dog that watched over all the neighborhood kids, especially when they toddled "through the woods" of our joined back yards, "hunting for bears".

If he had continued to growl and threaten, he would have been gone. It was imperative he realized he had to quit that fast.

yes, you supressed the growling behavior. This had two possible outcomes

dog never growls again, never bites

or

dog never growls and begins to bite without warning

the first one is a product of a dog that would have not biten anyway, and the second is a what you hear about on the news. "the dog bit without warning". To be honest, you did yourself a dangerous disservice. Your dog could have easily been in the second catagory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GalaxiesKuklos

Well said, too bad I can't give you a "like' or "rep" points for this. I find that most people who deride non-aversive training are really admitting to their own incompetence but blaming the tool when they should be blaming the craftsman.

PS. The only thing I would change in your post would be changing method to principle. The principles of learning are universal, the methods are the application of those principles.

like I said, there are mountains of books by credentialed "professionals" claiming that spanking a child only breeds violence. The article you posted was "based" on an artical by Dr. Dunbar, and yet it's got a lot of claims that look exactly opposite of what I've observed through my life. I lived 22 years in the mountains and had a dog that ran with a pack...just because someone has a credential and someone bases an article on something he wrote, then slaps it on the internet, is no reason to disbelieve what you've witnessed and trade it for beliefs of the credentialed professional.

Just my .02

you forget that these professionals you so readily scoff at have forgotten more about dogs that many of us can every hope to know. They HAVE experience. Often 1000x more that the average person and more than you I'd wager (not a jab, just saying). Jean donaldson worked with hundreds if not thousands of dogs at the SF SPCA and she holds the belief that alpha rolls and growling suppression are not a good idea, and downright harmful. She holds a PhD as does Dunbar ON TOP of that experience, not in spite of it.

as far as spanking. Not sure what to say to that. Do you know what "fallout" is? A method can "work" but thats not always the objective...there is falllout to punishment. Sure I can beat a dog with a brick (or a kid) to keep them quiet...OR I can reward them for being quiet when I ask. Both methods "work". But one has fallout.

I have to add in one thing about the way that other dogs correct one another.

A mother dog will correct her pups behaviour by pulling their ear, grabbing and holding a pup's snout ect. This is because she's a dog and she knows her pups, and sometimes a mother dog will accidently kill her pups (I've read about it and heard it).

Dogs communicate the only way they know how, physically. If they could talk it out in complex terms and use devices and such, they probably would correct other dogs in another way. But they can't so they are doing what is natural to them, using the only body parts they can (teeth and body).

We're humans, there's a better way to train and it's been proven to be much more effective. But if you want the "quick fix" then people can jab and poke their dogs, don't go crying and saying "it was out of nowhere!" when he or she finally bites you in defense.

With a rescue dog I did nothing but love on it, THAT was the dog that went for the throat of a child with no warning.

With a dog that I had since a pup, I growled in his throat and he got the message there was no negotiation about growling at my infant...and (gasp) he was smart enough to figure out that included actual attacks...

With the incredibly smart monster dog that I have now, it was scarey to try that on him, I agree it was risky (which someone else wisely wrote) but so far it's worked again. As for that being "fear" and not "respect", I disagree again, because he doesn't behave in fear of me at all, but he appears to know his limits (so far)

heh, if I start typing like thjiis, tjhenm we'lkl knooow I placced a badd bet....

Quick question, but lots of them:
Free-fed, meals, or earn-every bite?
Dishes left down when empty or picked up?
Who eats first, you or him?
Where does he eat?
Is he allowed in the dining/food prep/food storage areas?

Where does he sleep?
Is he allowed in the house/certain rooms/on furniture?

Who goes first through a doorway, gate, hall, stairs?
Which part of his body is beside you during a leash-walk?
Who decides when it's playtime/walktime?
Do you play tug? If yes, who wins? Are tug toys left out between games?
Does he fetch? How well?
Do you play rough games like wrestling?

Does he show any resistance to grooming/hugging/restraint?

Do you ever let him sit on your feet?
Sit directly in front of you?
Shove you physically or get you to sidle over to avoid tripping over him?
Demand affection?

Quick question, but lots of them:
Free-fed, meals, or earn-every bite?
Dishes left down when empty or picked up?
Who eats first, you or him?
Where does he eat?
Is he allowed in the dining/food prep/food storage areas?

Where does he sleep?
Is he allowed in the house/certain rooms/on furniture?

Who goes first through a doorway, gate, hall, stairs?
Which part of his body is beside you during a leash-walk?
Who decides when it's playtime/walktime?
Do you play tug? If yes, who wins? Are tug toys left out between games?
Does he fetch? How well?
Do you play rough games like wrestling?

Does he show any resistance to grooming/hugging/restraint?

Do you ever let him sit on your feet?
Sit directly in front of you?
Shove you physically or get you to sidle over to avoid tripping over him?
Demand affection?

Uh oh....I'm in trouble, I bet I get a FAIL on every one of these...

Free-fed, meals, or earn-every bite? Free fed
Dishes left down when empty or picked up? uh...refilled
Who eats first, you or him? LOL you're kidding right? me
Where does he eat? in the front hallway away from the kitchen
Is he allowed in the dining/food prep/food storage areas? nope
Where does he sleep? He's a monster, wherever he wants! (but not on furniture or the bed)
Is he allowed in the house/certain rooms/on furniture? Whole house, not furniture, only when I'm home
Who goes first through a doorway, gate, hall, stairs? they do
Which part of his body is beside you during a leash-walk? I sled/bike them
Who decides when it's playtime/walktime? me
Do you play tug? If yes, who wins? Are tug toys left out between games? Nope, he and bell have pull toys between each other
Does he fetch? How well? Nope, and not bred for it
Do you play rough games like wrestling? Heck no, he's too big
Does he show any resistance to grooming/hugging/restraint? When I put his harness on to pull the sled/bike, he's so excited he can hardly hold still but it's not resistance.
Do you ever let him sit on your feet? nope, he's too big
Sit directly in front of you? sure
Shove you physically or get you to sidle over to avoid tripping over him? nope, he knows to not get in my way
Demand affection? Do you mean sit near me to get attention and petted? sure. I give him tons.Okay so...(grin) how'd I do?

Actually? The only person who can give you a score is you! Just from reading the questions, you probably have a pretty good idea what the "right" answers are. What we are doing is showing your dog that you are the dominant/leader member of the family (and remember ALL humans including very small ones should outrank all dogs) and that you control the things he values.

The worst scenarios are when someone gives all the "right" answers but has a very badly behaved dog, or when they are unwilling to make any changes. Most people will give a combination of "right" and "wrong" answers, and are willing to change some, but not all of what they are doing. The worse your dog's behaviour is, the more of these you should do. Many dogs go through stages either due to maturity, or due to life changes like a new home or new family member, "act out" at those times, and need a reminder of who's in charge.

The answer to my question is yes, you are doing other leadership things with your dog!

If you have any behaviour problems now or in the future, do some or all these suggestions for a week or two, or even permanently:

Food doesn't fall out of heaven or grow out of empty bowls. It is earned, piece by piece, in exchange for work, or given, at human-decided mealtimes, to polite dogs. Yes, they know you eat first, and they care. Good neutral spot for them to eat. Good keeping them out of your food areas.Keeping him out of the bedroom (and ideally out of respect for you, not just from a closed door) is a possibility. People whose dogs are outdoors only or only in the porch or one room tend to have fewer problems, for some dogs that's a possibility. Off the furniture is good. Dogs allowed on the furniture could be grounded (literally!) for a while and they do respond to that.You should go first, when possible, through a doorway, gate, hall, stairs and there should be no pushing and shoving. Leash-training and leash-practice can help with respect. I would have the shoulder (small dogs), neck (medium dogs) or skull (large dogs) beside your leg. Behind that but not lagging to the end of the leash is fine too, unless you are in an obedience ring. You should be able to turn without pulling on the leash or tripping on your dog - this only happens if he's paying attention to you and respecting your choice of which direction to go. Exercise with a harness and sled/bike is fine, providing he is trained to turn/stop/slow when asked.Games like tug, fetch, and wrestling are not necessary, but if you do play them, you need to win every time, and play/quit when you decide. This is often an issue with small kids, who tend to lose.
You should be able to touch and restrain your dog everywhere, such as feet, ears, nose, and in every position, such as him lying down, without a problem because (1) you are the leader and get to do whatever you want and (2) you are trustworthy and would never hurt him. (Not all dogs believe that of their owners, even if it is true.) Allowing him to dance around when you are putting on the harness is your choice. If you are getting frustrated with it, or if you want others to be able to put it on him, teach him to stand nicely for it.Personal space is the most important aspect, but it is also the most difficult to assess without actually seeing you and him interact. Most people need a lot of improvement in this area. I think but can't promise you that you are already doing fairly well... so for now I'll leave you with the vague instruction, personal space is very important!

So my assessment?
(1) You are doing a lot of things that support your role as the leader, AND
(2) You have a lot of things that you could change if you want now, or want in the future to change his behaviour.

like I said, there are mountains of books by credentialed "professionals" claiming that spanking a child only breeds violence.

This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. When I read something like this, the credibility of the poster plummets to the bottom. What the research indicates is that physical punishment increases the likelihood of violence in the victim. And as we would expect - at least for those who understand evolution - the same is observed in dogs.

Quote:

I lived 22 years in the mountains and had a dog that ran with a pack.

Since dogs don't run in packs, I am not inclined to believe this claim.

Quote:

After seeing what they teach kids in public school thanks to our academic elite

Who needs all that ejumacation?

Of course it comes down to credibility. You would be a lot more credible if you weren't using the internet. A tool invented by those academic elites and their twisted ideas.

(
With a rescue dog I did nothing but love on it, THAT was the dog that went for the throat of a child with no warning.

With a dog that I had since a pup, I growled in his throat and he got the message there was no negotiation about growling at my infant...and (gasp) he was smart enough to figure out that included actual attacks...

Even if that was the only variable for their entirely life, we could not conclude that it had anything to do with your growl. I can think of hundreds of environmental variables that could contribute to their behavior. As well as hundreds more biological variables.

There is what works for your dog/cat/hedgehog. And, as all good scientists know, there are actually very few empirical "knowns" ~ when it comes to behaviour, cognition and training of animals or people for that matter. We as a species barely understand how our own brains work physically, let alone how we can communicate with and understand how our companions think and feel.

There is nothing "magical" about training animals folks unless you are have something to gain by it. So lets stop putting this into the realm of Adler and Skinner. This is a pet forum for real people. All your chit-chat (yes I'z being sarcastic ~ surprize!) about P+ and P- is marvey-doo (more of that goll-dang sarcasm...) but not helpful unless I'm interested in becoming an animal behaviourist.

Though I have to admit I did enjoy thinking about the post hoc fallacy thingy.